LEH, LADAKH, INDIA - AUGUST 19: Ladakhi Buddhist monks construct a mandala with sand and the dust of precious stones inside the Thiksay monastery, 17 kilometers outside of Leh, the capital of Ladakh, India August 19, 2003. After the festival the mandala will be destroyed, thus expressing the impermanence of visible forms. Nestled high in the Himalayas , the isolated area of Ladakh first opened to tourists in 1974, and is the home to one of the last surviving authentic Tibetan Buddhist cultures. Leh is situated at a height of 3,505 meters and once was part of the silk route of central Asia. Traders from exotic and far-flung lands have long spoken of the beauties of these lands. (Photo by Ami Vitale/Getty Images)